and Now for Something Completely Different

Water added to the Forest in CA, brings new life.

Lumix GH2, 100-300mm

Dan

Occupy Seattle

I have been photographing the Seattle Occupiers since Oct 12th on a non-scheduled basis and here are some of my photos to date.

I often play with photos, as in post-process, but with these I have decided to keep it to straight-out-of-camera, or crop, or minimal sharpening/shadows adjustments. It aligns with photojournalism, to my knowledge, and I thought it would be the best way to represent this ongoing series.

The only description I'll provide is the time of day and date on which it was taken. I'd like to remain unbiased on the subject. Not sure that is ever entirely possible but if no effort is made towards it, then the story as a whole would easily slide all over the place and become uninteresting to me. It is their voices that I am trying to document.

The location is downtown Seattle, across from Westlake Center, which is near many of the major retail stores. The final two photos are on 5th Ave, a few blocks away. I came across them as I was riding the bus, they have been painted over since then.

Oct 12; 3pm

 Oct 12; 3pm

Oct 16; 12am

 Oct 16; 12am

 Oct 16; 12am

 Oct 16; 12am

 Oct 29; 4pm

 Oct 29; 4pm

 Oct 29; 4:30pm

 Oct 30; 6:45pm

 Nov 2 (monorail 5th Ave)

 Nov 2 (monorail 5th Ave)

Dan Taking the Cooking School Picture

Bessa R, CV 35mm f2.5, Ilford XP2

The behind the scene shot. :)

--Warren

Happy Thanksgiving

In the spirit of the holiday, I was with Warren several months ago and we passed a cooking class.

Mamiya 7ii, 65mm, f4, Ektar 100

Dan

Sunset at Pacifica Pier

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

A couple enjoys a nice, autumn sunset at Pacifica.

This is the first of a series that I shot that evening, stay tuned :)

--Warren

Occupy SF Banner

Nikon D100, Nikkor 24mm f2.8AF

We happened to be in the area yesterday. This banner was in front of the encampment's tent city.

--Warren

Ferry Building and Waterfront Skyline

Nikon D100, Nikkor 24mm f2.8-AF

I decided to take the old warhorse D100 out for a stroll yesterday, as well as exercising my 35mm FOV 'vision' :).

This vantage point of the Port is not seen very much.

--Warren

Mysterious Forest

Lumix DMC-GF1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

This very interesting scene was taken at Bothe/Napa Valley State Park last weekend.

--Warren

Yountville Vineyard #2

Lumix DMC-GF1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

Same vineyard as the previous post, the clouds were nice that day.

--Warren

Fall Colors in Yountville

Lumix DMC-GF1, Lumix 20mm f1.7

We went up to Napa/Yountville/St. Helena yesterday, and there was a nice splash of intense fall color in Yountville. :)

--Warren

Curtain of Autumn Leaves

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

The First Presbyterian Church in downtown Napa is in the background.

--Warren

Photography with Warren's Nikon F2

I finally took the Nikon F2 that Warren generously gave me a few years ago out for a shoot. Here are some images from a roll of Kodak Gold 200 taken in Annapolis last Saturday afternoon. I took the roll to Costco (Price Club) and they developed and scanned the negatives for me (the scanning resolution works out to 19 megapixels!)

I used a Nikkor 43-86mm f/3.5 zoom, a classic lens, the first version of which is reputed by some to be the worst lens Nikon ever made. This one is the 11-element 1976 AI version. I rather liked its performance, which was limited anyway by my presbyopic ability to focus properly without a prescription eyepiece.

I made some very slight adjustments for exposure and color temperature in Adobe Camera Raw, then added a very little bit of sharpening in Photoshop to get these end results. I'm very happy with the colors, but the grain of the film is very apparent, even at less than 50% magnification in Photoshop (hard to see in these 800-pixel, web-sized images.) I attribute that to the film itself, and will try Kodak Ektar 100 or Portra 160, both of which are said to be much better in terms of grain and suitability for scanning.

In any event, I am enjoying displaying and using these classic cameras. With my recent attack of Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS,) I've already acquired far too many classic SLRs in the past month or so, but at least they'll keep Warren's two Nikons company. I'll be shooting most of them over the next few weeks and months and will report back on them as well.

Thanks again Warren!

Can a Pile of Rubble Be Aesthetically Pleasing?

You be the judge, and while you're at it, can you tell which picture is digital and which is film?

#1



#2

--Warren

Half a Peace Sign

Saw these guys taking a break and they saw me taking their picture and gave me the half a peace sign. I flashed a full peace sign and they laughed and did the same.

Leica m9 50mm, f2.

Dan

Indoor fern seen at the de Young.

Leica M9, 50mm, f2

Dan

Hole in One

Although shot digitally with the M9, 50mm f2, I thought the image worked better in B and W with some grain.

Dan

What a Difference One Accessory Makes

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

I bought an accessory grip for my GF1, and I couldn't be happier. It has transformed the look and feel of the GF1. It now feels 'complete' and well-balanced.

The $100+ grip is sold by a company in Japan only, but I managed to find a used one for $65. It is made of very lightweight aluminum, and it only adds a few ounces and about 1/2 inch to the bottom of the GF1.

It was money well spent, since one of the usual comments about the camera is that there is not enough of a grip for the right hand. That was my opinion as well. In fact, on the recently introduced GF1 replacement, the GX1, Panasonic included a much beefier grip.

--Warren

Devilish Dan

Konica FS-1, 40mm f1.8 Hexanon, Kodak BW400CN

warm & cold

Dark Waters

Used the sun to under expose the clear water in this fountain.

Leica M6 CV 15mm 4.5, Velvia 50

Museum Abstract

The de Young Museums copper skin is just starting to develop a nice patina.

Leica M6, CV 15mm 4.5, Velvia 50

Dan

A Fall Day at Stow Lake

Konica FS-1, 40mm f1.8 Hexanon, Kodak BW400CN

The Hexanon lenses are really amazing.

I think BW400CN scans better than XP2. Anyone else notice this? (I know, only a couple of you still shoot film, so I don't expect too many answers to this question :) )

--Warren

Serious Dude

I have walked by these a thousand times in Golden Gate Park and never noticed how intimidating they are.

More Explorers

Konica FS-1, 40mm f1.8 Hexanon, Kodak BW400CN

Different weekend, different place, same idea as the last one that I posted.

Dan, I finally had a chance to process the roll that I shot in the FS-1. As it turned out, I must have loaded it badly because the leader jammed in the FS-1's wind mechanism causing it to double expose a few frames in the beginning, and jam when I tried to rewind it. I had to unload the camera in a dark closet by opening the back and manually yanking out the leader.

I will be posting my shots from the RFF meetup day soon.

--Warren

Super Wide

The 15mm CV 4.5 is the most difficult lens I have ever used. These images taken on a Leica M6 with Ektar 100 are my first attempts. I am working on creating a lens profile for the Leica M9 using corner fix, but have not mastered that yet. If you do not use a profile the lens produces odd color shifts on the edges.

IMO the lens when used to create depth as a backdrop for foreground subjects in the overall context of the scene seem to work best as opposed to just using the 110 degree field of view for dramatic super wide landscapes. What does everyone think about superwides in a full format frame?

Dan

Opportunists

Voigtlander Bessa R, CV 35mm f2.5 Skopar, Ilford XP2

These large and aggressive Canada Geese have edged out the local gulls and pigeons for a free meal.

--Warren

Veins

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm

Reading Spot

Panasonic DMC-G1, Lumix 14-45mm